Shopping trolleys are typically configured with four fully swivelling casters, one caster being provided at each corner of the base of the trolley frame to form front and rear wheel assemblies. The use of four fully swivelling casters enables the shopping trolley to be manoeuvred forwards or sideways, however can render the trolley difficult to control, with steering a trolley around a corner or maintaining it in a straight path or on a sloped surface being particularly difficult. With the casters being free to swivel and therefore not providing any sideways resistance, altering the path of the trolley requires the operator to impart a moment directly on the trolley to rotate it as there are no fixed wheels about which the trolley can easily rotate. The difficulty in maneuvering a trolley is increased when loaded with shopping, with the increased weight resulting in an increased moment being required to alter the path of the trolley.
The applicant has found that a shopping trolley having the front pair of wheels fixed from swivelling, with the wheel axles in a co-axial relationship, and the rear wheels being able to swivel, not unlike a motor vehicle, is easier to manoeuvre. A trolley with such a configuration is able to pivot about the fixed set of wheels to alter its direction. The operator need only control this pivoting about the fixed wheels by applying a small sideways force to the trolley handle to direct the trolley along the required path.
Whilst this arrangement is effective, the manoeuvrability of a trolley may be unduly limited, particularly when turning the trolley in tight situations.